This book brings to light
the fabulous history and achievements of the Welsh people, and is the second of a series
(Volume 1, '100 Great Welshmen' was the Welsh Book Council's Book of the Month' in June
2001). Before the English Conquest, Wales fortunately has many more important female
leaders, opinion formers and icons than countries of a similar size. In the author's view,
the two most important poets in Wales after the death of R.S. Thomas, are women. Many of
out early saints, in the Dark Ages which spread over the rest of Europe in the 6th
century, were women. Britain's greatest monarch, Elizabeth Tudor, was Welsh, and
surrounded herself with trusted Welsh advisors. Two of our royal princesses were
incarcerated by the French rulers of England until they died. Our greatest heroine,
Gwenllian, was executed by the Normans after battle. A Welsh woman was the mother of the
First Bishop of Rome. Britain's greatest female novelist, George Eliot was Welsh. Boadicea
was a Celtic-speaking Briton. Three of Britain's greatest singers - Petula Clark,
Elizabeth David and Delia Smith, are of Welsh origins. We have suffragettes,
bacteriologists, politicians, athletes, actresses, philanthropists, round-the-world
yachtswoman, artist, hymn-writers and Hollywood stars like Bette Davis and Myrna Loy. The
book even shows that Lucy Walter of Pembrokeshire is an unacknowledged Queen of England.